Yes, I do...

Yes, thankfully, I do still have a job. After a very stressful week, I will continue going to work and teaching my students. For the next two weeks, we are studying the presidential election. Hopefully it will help me decide who I want to vote for. Even if it doesn't, my kids are really enjoying it.

Yes I have a job, No I don't...

It's kind of like he loves me, he loves me not, but on a much more serious note. Dallas ISD is facing an 84 million dollar budget shortfall and it's teachers are taking a BIG hit. Unfortunately, this hasn't been a quick process. It has been a long, drawn-out, painful, stressful process. The "higher ups" keep pushing back the decisions deadline. First, it was the deadline about what they were actually going to do. On October 2, they decided they were going to have to let 550 teachers go. In effort to avoid firing that many teachers, they opened up a time for voluntary resignations. Finally, this past Monday, we were told that Wednesday, tomorrow, was the day that teachers would be getting pink slips.

Mind you, we have been going about our daily lifes, teaching and just plain living, with bated breathe for more than a month now. We have been expected to act like nothing is happening; like we aren't in danger of losing our jobs at the next turn. Every single teacher is worried about whether or not he or she will have a job tomorrow. "They" say every delay is to make sure they are making the best decisions for everyone involved, but I have a hard time believing that letting us hang for weeks, going on months on end is good for us. We are expected to continue teaching our kids when at any moment our principal could walk in with that dreaded piece of paper that says "Sorry, you are no longer employed by Dallas ISD. Please pack your belongings and vacate the premises."

Well, it's stressful enough thinking that tomorrow is the dreaded day, but then I get an email saying that because of a meeting that HE had with the principal's, they are pushing it back one more day, JUST TO MAKE SURE. So it won't be until Thursday. I read that email and I just wanted to scream. I don't want to lose my job, and until Sunday/Monday I had done a really good job keeping my focus elsewhere and not worrying about it.

At this point, the decisions have already been made. The principals know who is going to go, so they just need to get on with telling people - so that everyone can breathe a little easier. Even if it is me, I just want to know...I don't want it hanging over my head any more.

Come see me...

A few years ago my mom started making jewelry. She has time for fun little projects like that since she had to retire from work - jewelry, quilting, etc. Once she started making jewelry, she got me into it and I really enjoy the creativity of figuring out how different beads work together to make a necklace, bracelet or pair of earrings. We have made jewelry for ourselves and given it away to family and friends, but it would be nice to make some extra cash from our little hobby. A friend mentioned a website called etsy.com over the summer so I finally looked into it and got a store set up.

Come and see me (and my mom) and my (our) designs at www.MELodesigns.etsy.com.

$55 million

The other day I was listening to the radio and I heard that Johnny Depp had agreed to do a fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie for a mere $55 million dollars and I thought..."Wow, why does he get $55 million for a few months of filming a movie (yeah I know its a lot of stunts and stuff) and I only gross in the mid $40K's per year for teaching those who hold the future in their hands?" How is that fair...I know...life's not fair, but I don't have to like it. And now, on top of everything else, Dallas ISD is in the midst of an $84+ million budget shortfall and on Thursday they decided that 550 teachers will be fired. So every teacher has to go to school and continue doing their job while sitting on the edge of their chair wondering if the next time their classroom door opens it will be the principal telling them to pack up their desk and go home...
The Dallas budget crisis somewhat mirrors the national crisis, which I can't pretend to understand because I still sit at home counting pennies hoping against hope that I can stretch until the end of the month, until the next paycheck, until I finally have all my debt paid off and can breathe again. I'm down to about 20 months if all goes well, I get to keep my job and I don't breathe too deeply...